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Have you noticed the increase in armored cars following hearses lately? Neither have I. The greatest fear I have is to die healthy, with money in the bank, and things to do on my “Bucket List”.

This is true wisdom!!!

Hey, and the OP is running a business with a young family. Sounds like the plan is to pay others to do the work. That can be a good decision when you run a business because time spent in the business is often worth more per hour than even expensive yard bills. Given this, the OP's estimates of costs are pretty darn good (yea less diesel, but the rest is pretty good).

We just had the perfect beam reach returning from Martha's Vineyard this AM. The boat was screaming, we were smiling, the spray was flying, knot log was pegged... This life provides a limited set of these perfect moments.

Buy the boat and sail on!

06-21-2013 10:40 AM

agipson

Re: Sailboat Cost of Ownership

Have you noticed the increase in armored cars following hearses lately? Neither have I. The greatest fear I have is to die healthy, with money in the bank, and things to do on my “Bucket List”.

Brent, pretty impressive commitment to keeping costs down. While I still spend more the $100 per year on cleaning products and polish and there are no 35mm reusable shaft zincs lying around here, I see you are doing this differently.

However, most can't, both due to lack of desire and availability of opportunity. Chicago doesn't have a tide to beach your boat.

I built a spreadsheet with tables for the initial purchase, recurring annual expenses, recurring monthly expenses and ongoing maintenance and upkeep expenses. I estimated about $4K/yr in upkeep of the boat. The boat I used for this figure is a 1984 Sabre 34 that looks reasonably well maintained but has the original engine (633 hours, claimed), new sails, newer rigging and electronics in good to very good condition. We'll be checking it out this weekend. (It's not in the water yet.)

All expenses, annually, came to ~$14,600. That included a slip ($4,160), winter storage ($1,970), loan payments ($4,370), utilities, parking and upkeep.

While I don't need fancy gadgets, I do tend to like a well maintained boat. It gives me peace of mind.

I dont pay for a slip, never paid winter storage, nor loan payments, nor parking, and very little for upkeep, which I do all myself.

I take it you never paint your bottom or buy sails or even the material to make them? No zincs on a steel boat? No steel or welding rods? No topside paint? No new lines - ever?

Come now Brent - being economical with your boats is one thing - being economical with the truth is another.

We are all aware of what boats cost for even minimal maintenance on the cheap. The majority of 35' sailboats take more than $10 THOUSAND a year and you claim to only spend $100? For a liveaboard?

Replaced my jib sheets a couple of years ago after 27 yers and 6 Pacific crossings and the rest cruising 11 months a year in BC . Last painted my bottom in Tonga 10 years ago, having a 5,000 mile sail ahead of me back to BC, mostly to windward. That was also my last haulout. It takes me 15 minutes to scrap the bottom of my twin keeler when aground on most low tides. No need for new bottom paint. I use the free zincs others throw away, so new you can still read the writing on them. Just picked up three more today.
Topside paint ,home hardware "Fishboat" paint costs $28 a gallon. I repaint it every couple of years. I was given 5 gallons of epoxy, but it only costs around $40 a gallon, and a gallon lasts many years doing touchups.
Welding rods are for new projects, mostly for other people , not maintenance ,except for one or two rods a year for welding zincs on.
On a well built steel boat, nothing breaks ,leaks or pulls away.
So what other expenses are you thinking about?
I dont make anywhere near $10,000 a year, total. Never have.